Standard Lemma guide

cholla

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈt͡ʃɔɪ.ə/
  • choiʹə
  • rhymes with -ɔɪə
  • CMU ARPABET: CH AA1 L AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of several species of cactus in the genus Cylindropuntia, having very spiny, cylindrical stem segments.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

arborescent cacti having very spiny cylindrical stem segments; southwestern United States and Mexico

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Opuntia cholla

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cactus

History

Etymology

From a Mexican Spanish use of Spanish cholla (“head, skull”). Compare keel.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Navajo: hosh aditsahii — cactus
  • Panamint: wiyattampü — cactus
  • Quechua: atuq waqachi — cactus
  • Russian: цилиндропу́нция (cilindropúncija) — cactus
  • Spanish: cholla — cactus